TimeTurner of Love
by Ryuu-Xana
Summary: A new girl is brought to Konoha by the Sand Sibs. She won't talk about her past and some things don't add up. Why is Neji saying that her mom died eight years ago when she only died four years ago. A few OC's, an OV, and lots of chaos. Part of my Naruto Multiverse.
1. Prologue: Bad Boy

Hi. I realize I haven't updated anything in a while. I'm still working on my KH fics. Updating them might be a while though. Currently preoccupied with Naruto.

I'm working on two different Naruto fics currently. This and one that I have currently dubbed Konoha High. Yeah, so original. I'm not sure what I will call it yet, but it will be better than the current title. I know there are so many high school fics out there, but it's fun writing the characters as normal humans and not ninjas with powers.

_This_ is something I came up with and started writing four years ago before I really had a grasp on the Naruto world. My grasp has gotten better, kind of, but I had fun with this. Just an FYI, I'm only in the middle of season 2 of Naruto. I haven't even seen Itachi. But I read up a bit on Itachi on the Naruto wikia. I'm just portraying him the way I read him.

That'll be explained later as well. So, go read on. Have fun.

Oh, and before I forget, Yasore no Sato is my original village. It's up by Kusagakure: the Village Hidden in the Grass. And I've tweaked the Akatsuki ages just a bit as well.

* * *

Prologue: Bad Boy

"Daddy!" shouted a small girl, leaping from a low tree branch toward Sasori, happy to see him. Her hazel eyes shined with delight as she fell at him, knowing he would catch her in his arms. She was instantly ricocheted back into the tree as she hit some sort of energy field, her head making contact with the branch.

Charged energy crackled around Sasori, caused by a disturbance in the lightening field that surrounded him.

"Daddy?" the girl breathed from the dirt ground where she flew, tears in her eyes.

Sasori didn't even react. He was unfazed by what had just happened. He didn't even register seeing his youngest daughter.

"Daddy!" the girl cried, tears spilling over her eyelids now. She was too weak to move. More tears blurred her vision and she was slowly blacking out.

A hand reached around the tree and grabbed her. She tried to struggle but it was too much for her little body. She hissed loudly instead.

"Shhhh, Ayame, un," a familiar voice said, hushing the hissing girl.

She stopped instantly upon recognizing the voice. "Dara onii-chan!" she rasped quietly.

"We're here to help you," said another voice.

"Tachi nii-chan," she mewled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Deidara let go of her, letting Itachi hold her instead.

"Hold her still, please, Itachi," requested a third voice. Ayame spotted Kisame moving toward her, a locket in hand.

Ayame blacked out, her body lying motionless in Itachi's arms, her head lying on his shoulder. A few seconds later, while Kisame was still creeping toward her, her head shot up and she fixed her eyes on Kisame. "Get away from me with that, you ffffffffilthy fffffffish! All you are to me issssss a ssssssnack, Kissssssssame!" she hissed, sounding like a cat that had her eye on dinner.

Kisame recoiled, a wave of fear washing over him.

"Now Kisame! Move faster, un! The locket! You have to put it on her, un!" shouted Deidara, trying to help Itachi keep his hold on a struggling Ayame.

Kisame gulped, moving forward a bit quicker but he wasn't keen on getting kicked on the face by an eight-and-a-half-year-old girl.

"Oh for crying out loud, Kisame, un! Really, un? You're scared of an eight-and-a-half-year-old‽" Deidara exclaimed in exasperation. "You'd think I was the twenty-three-year-old instead of the twelve-year-old, un," he muttered with an exasperated sigh. "Toss me the locket, Kisame, un!"

Itachi watched the exchange between the man and the tween. Watching them squabble like that was embarrassing. As much as he liked and got along with Kisame, he was, at the moment, embarrassed to call the walking shark his partner.

The girl stopped struggling. She had no idea what was going on, but there was some part of her that knew it wasn't good. She couldn't understand why Itachi nii-chan was holding her still as Kisame-san and Deidara onii-chan fought over a locket. "Itachi nii-chan, what's going on?" the girl asked.

Itachi didn't have a good answer to that. He didn't like what was going on, but it was an order given by Akuryuu, one of Pain's second in command. If he were to keep up this act and infiltrate the Akatsuki, this was one order he would have to follow out, even if it meant killing the first person he had come to love since being blackmailed.

Kisame threw the locket at Deidara, squealing as he did so. The thought of getting any closer to Ayame, especially while she was having one of those fits really scared him.

The squeal yanked Itachi out of his thoughts. It sounded as if he had been burned.

The locket flew over Deidara's head, diverting his attention away from Itachi and Ayame. Itachi took advantage of the commotion, using it as his chance to release the girl. He loosened his hold on her. "Go, run," he ordered her. "Now's your chance to get away. Be swift."

Ayame, heeding his words, wasted no time in breaking out of his hold. Once she had done that, she ran.

"Damn you, Kisame!" Deidara shouted at the walking shark. "Well, don't just stand there!" he shouted. "Catch her!"

Itachi was faster though. He made sure he was on his feet and after the girl before Deidara and Kisame were.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

By the time Itachi caught up to Ayame, the Village Hidden in the Branches had been destroyed and Ayame was nowhere to be seen. Stopping at Itachi's side, Deidara smacked Kisame over the head as the three Akatsuki members gazed around at the smoldering ashes of the tree houses that lay in ruin.

"Why did you freeze, Kisame?" Itachi asked him, curious, even though he knew it would have been the end of Ayame if his partner had been even the slightest bit quicker and less fearful.

"She's just a little girl, for crying out loud," Deidara pointed out to his friend.

Neither of them really ever understood Kisame's fear. It was irrational. Kisame was Kisame. He was a walking _shark_ for crying out loud!

Kisame looked over at Deidara and Itachi, a sheepish look on his face.

Deidara inwardly groaned. That look reminded him of sushi.

"Stop looking at us like that, Kisame," Itachi ordered.

"That look reminds me of sushi, un. You are not sushi, Kisame," Deidara deadpanned.

"But—But—But with her I might as well be!" he exclaimed and then automatically cringed, expecting to be smacked upside his head again.

Deidara rolled his eyes, even though only one of them could be seen.

Itachi shook his head as he rolled his eyes as well. He honestly didn't see what the problem was.

"Are you going to explain what you mean by that or are you just going to continue looking like you expect to blown to bits, un?"

Kisame slowly straightened up and carefully explained the irrational fear, that wasn't actually so irrational after all, to Deidara and Itachi.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

Ayame groaned as she woke up. Her head was pounding. She opened her eyes and gasped, shutting them again. The bright light stung and made her headache much worse. She made a quiet noise. It sounded like a quiet mewling moan. "Where am I?" she groaned, eyes still closed against the harshness of the light.

"You're safe, Sweetie. We were walking in a different part of the forest and we felt the trembling of the explosion. We walked toward the disturbance and we found you curled up in a ball on the forest floor. We went up to your village and saw Monika no Mura all in ruin. we didn't think anybody survived, so we gathered you up and brought you with us," said the man.

"What's your name, Sweetie?" asked the woman sitting next to the man.

"Ay—Cheza," she stuttered, catching herself. Ayame thought it was better to give them a bit of misinformation. If Kisame and Deidara ever came looking for her, they'd ask for Ayame and she didn't want to ever see them again. She didn't want anybody to be killed on her behalf either. "What happened?" she asked, opening her eyes slightly, looking at the couple sitting at her bedside. "Is jii-chan okay? What about Mommy and Daddy and Niji nee-chan? Please keep me safe from Dara onii-chan and Kisame-san." Tears started filling the little girl's eyes. "I thought they were friends, but they tried to kill me," she sobbed.

"Dara?" the man repeated, looking at his wife.

"And Kisame," she added.

"Dara?" he asked, this time with a slight bit of recognition. His eyes got wide and he exclaimed, "Deidara!"

"Don't worry, Cheza," the woman reassured her. "You're safe here. We won't let them hurt you. We didn't leave any traces behind. They won't know where you went."

"And we'll find your family, Cheza. I promise."

* * *

So, review and tell me what you think. Lack of reviews won't stop me from updating but it's a nice thing to do. It's very welcome as well. Or I could be childish and say R4R. But I'd rather not have to bribe you.

And something fun I learned today just playing around with Google Translate: Set the language as Japanese and have it translate to English. Make sure the "Allow Phonetic Typing" box is checked. Type in Hyuuga and see what it translates out to. Isn't that funny? Not "haha" funny but "odd in an interesting kind of way" funny.

I thought so anyway.


	2. Chapter 1: Village Hidden in the Sand

Here's chapter one. I hope you like it! I also have an idea for a Naruto/X-Men mesh. It's like a crossover but it's also different. You take two different things and instead of combining all the characters or have a plot that combines both, you take the characters from one and throw them into the setting of the other. So I'm going to be taking the Naruto characters and putting them in highschool and adding the X-Gene. Let's see how chaotic that can be.

I wanted them to be non-ninja but I didn't want them to just be human either. Because my plot for it is kind of crazy. So, let me know who you would like to see with what power.

And onto the story!

* * *

Chapter 1: Village Hidden in the Sand

It had been four and a half years since I started living here. I don't exactly remember the events that lead me living here clearly anymore. I remember being chased by Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi and then I remember hearing a giant explosion. Then I woke up in a foreign bed in a foreign place with the faces of my adopted parents comforting me.

I shook my head. It all felt like a crazy nightmare. My adopted parents kept their promise though. Every single chance they got, they went out scouting for my parents: Any word on who they were or what had happened to them. But I gave up on that search a long time ago. They didn't even have the correct information. I gave them a false last name when I was nine. In the years in between, I had been lying to them, telling them I didn't remember my parents or my last name. The truth was that I knew Sasori was my dad. I was ashamed about it though. I didn't want anybody knowing my true origin. I don't remember anything about my mom though. Except her maiden name, that is: Kella. She was part of the Kella clan. I don't even know where she's from or where the Kella clan originated. My parents are the only concrete part of my past that I remember and even then, I don't remember much.

"Mew." Snug, my pet ocelot, hopped into my lap. She rubbed up against me, looking up at me.

"I'm fine, Snug," I sighed, petting her. She lied down in my lap and started purring. I was quiet for a minute. "How do you like it here?" I asked her.

She meowed and rubbed her head against my stomach.

"I don't know," I said, answering her unspoken question. I was torn. I really wanted to get away from my adopted parents but at the same time getting away from here also meant leaving Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara behind. "I want out of here. _Of course_ I want out of here. But that would mean leaving Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara," I said, voicing my thoughts. "They're my only friends here. I don't want to lose them. But I can't stay here. I can't take staying here any longer, Snug. I can't stand them yelling at me when I sound like a cat sometimes!" I rolled my eyes. "It's not like I can tell them who I really am. Then I'd be out of a place to stay. I could stay with the Sand Siblings, but I don't want to impose. What I really need is to just get out of here." I glanced down at my cat. "I need answers, Snug. I can't wait around and do nothing, like a trapped jungle cat who knows that the hyena is on the prowl."

Snug stood up and jumped off my lap. "Mew," she said, looking me in the eye.

I nodded and stood up. "You're right. I should just go talk to them. I'm sure they wouldn't mind me tagging along to Konaha."

I gathered up my pet puppy, Yuurei, as well, and the three of us took a trip to see the Sand Siblings.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

I poised my hand to knock on Gaara's door and just as I was about to knock, it opened, causing me to knock on the person's forehead.

"Cheza!" exclaimed Kankuro, snatching me up in a hug. Literally. My feet were no longer on the ground.

"Kankuro," I gasped. "Can't…breathe."

He laughed and put me back down.

Yuurei barked in excitement while Snug weaved around Kankuro's legs and wandered into the house, lying down just inside the open door.

"Sorry, Cheza." He leaned down to pet Yuurei. "Hey, Yuurei," he said, petting Yuurei upon the head. "Who's a good puppy?" he asked, standing up. Yuurei barked as Kankuro raised his hand to waist, palm open, facing down. Yuurei jumped and licked his open palm. "Good boy, Yuurei," he praised, taking a dog biscuit out of his pocket and tossing to my puppy.

"No face paint," I said, smiling at the interaction between Kankuro and Yuurei.

"Nope," he said with a nod. "Just got out of the shower. I haven't had time to reapply it yet."

"Don't. You so much hotter without it, Kuro." Kankuro smirked at me and I rolled my eyes. "Not like that," I said, giving him a small shove. "I love you like a brother. You know that."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a cocky smile. "But hearing that from you is a real confidence booster."

I felt a familiar sensation, loosing control over what I said. Neko was taking over "This coming from the girl who doesn't have any friends aside from you three losers."

Yuurei started jumping on me and barking up a frenzy. He even tried nipping at my legs, but Neko ignored him. Snug got up from where she was lying and wove back between Kankuro's legs. She sat down firmly in front of him, growling low in her throat.

"She doesn't trust you three. Cheza isn't even her real name."

"Your name isn't Cheza?" Kankuro asked, hurt in his eyes.

But Neko ignored him and kept right on talking. "And said girl can't go out of her house without explicit instructions from her parents and that's only to the grocery store and the academy." I cringed inwardly. I knew I wasn't out of the woods yet. "And you want to know what this girl really thinks about you, _Kuro_." I visibly cringed at the venom in my voice when I said the nickname, but I couldn't help it. This wasn't something I could stop. "She thinks you're hideous. She honestly thinks your puppet is hotter than you are, with and without the face-paint."

Snug growled at Neko and stood up, barring her from Kankuro.

Kankuro immediately walked back into the house and slammed the door in my face, leaving me there, stunned.

Yuurei stopped barking at me and jumping on me. Snug continued to stand her ground, staring at me, eyeing me to make sure I was back to normal.

"Damn you, Neko," I hissed under my breath. I turned around and started walking away, my pets following me.

The sound of a door opening stopped me in my tracks. "Cheza, wait!" Temari called, expecting me to be a ways away obviously.

"I'm right here," I said, turning around and rubbing my abused ears.

"Sorry, I thought you would have been further away. I thought you would have ran off."

"Why would _I_ be the one running? I'm the one who just insulted Kankuro, called you three losers, and almost gave away my identity," I sighed.

Temari stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind her. "Things happen. I understand."

"So you're not mad at me for calling the three of you losers?"

Temari laughed. "Under normal circumstances, yes. But these aren't normal. You're going to have to tell them one day, Ayame," Temari sighed.

She was the only person in the village who knew my real first name. It wasn't that I didn't trust the others, it was that I didn't want them to get hurt. I knew Temari could handle her own and I really needed girl friend that I could spill all my secrets to.

I sighed deeply. "I know. But I just don't know how."

Temari smiled suddenly. "I have a proposition for you, Ayame!" she chirruped.

"Yeah?" I asked, my ears perking up.

"Kankuro, Gaara, and I are leaving for the Village Hidden in the Leaves in a few days, as you very well may know."

"I know. Everyone knows. Word spreads quickly through the sand here," I said, wondering what she was getting at. "Besides, that's kind of what I came over here to talk to you about," I said, scratching the back of my head sheepishly.

"Is that so? Well, my brothers and I were talking about how you haven't left this village since you arrived here four years ago and how your home life sucks. How would you like to come with us, Ayame?" she asked.

I gasped. "What? Really? Sweet!"

"But—" she said, cutting my enthusiasm short.

I cringed inwardly. A catch. There was always a catch.

"You have to tell Gaara and Kankuro what you told me."

"But Temari—"

"Ah ah!" said Temari, raising her hand up, cutting me off. "No buts. Kankuro's ego is hurt now and if Gaara overheard what you said, he's going to think that you can't be trusted anymore. Even if you change your mind and you don't go on the trip with us, you still need to tell them your secret. They can hold their own. You know they'd do anything to protect you."

I thought about it. "I don't want—"

Temari's eyes flashed in irritation. "Don't even say you don't want them getting hurt. That's a lame excuse." Temari smiled again. "Now, if you are coming with us, you need to be packed and ready to go by Sunday night. We're going to be gone for five to six months.

"Five to six months!" I exclaimed. "Wow. Alright then." I gave Temari a hug and ran off. Once their house was out of view, I slowed to a walk. "Damn you, Neko. Did you have to go and say those things?" I muttered.

_Well, they're true, aren't they?_ a voice different from my own purred inside my head.

"They are _not_ losers and I _do_ trust them."

_That can't be true or else you would have told them the truth about yourself and me. And tell me, why aren't they losers?_

"They love me. They're more like my family than my adopted parents are." I kicked at the sand under my feet, making a sand cloud around me. I coughed as it filled my lungs.

_We all know _that's_ not true. They may love you now, but you know they'll hate you once they find out about you._

"_That _isn't true, Neko!" I exclaimed. "Temari loves me and she knows. Besides, it's my parents who will hate me if they find out."

The voice inside my head exploded with laughter. _What a joke! You really don't think they hate you now?_

"Shut up, Neko!"

She filled my head with images of me being beaten by my adopted father while his wife just stood in the background, watching, not interceding, just standing idly by.

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

_It had been three days since my adopted parents took me in as their own. It was dinnertime. It was also the first meal that they didn't order takeout. They asked me what I wanted to eat. I told them I wanted fish since I hadn't had fish for a while._

_They told me they didn't have fish and that fish was expensive because this was a desert._

_I, being a kid, threw a fit. That's what kids do. Now I know that they wouldn't let me get away with that kind of behavior._

_But what they did as punishment was not right._

_Dad took me into a room and mom followed. He grabbed a belt and whipped me with it._

_Mom just stood there in the doorway, watching. I could see her grimace every time the belt made contact—But she never so much as moved a muscle to help me._

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

"Stop it!" I shrieked. I got glances from some of the passer-bys as I grabbed my head and started running. I shook my head violently, trying to knock the memories out of my head. "Get out of my head!"

Shhhh, Child. Don't let that demon get to you," an third voice, an airy voice said. You know how much she loves to torture people.

"But she's right, Angel," I sobbed, tears rapidly falling down my face.

Angle was usually my shred of light in the darkness.

No, she isn't. She's just being usual morbid self, trying to get under your skin. Here. You're adopted parents may be abusive, but there is always a light in the darkness, a shining star, if you will.

Angel showed me scenes of when I first met Gaara.

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

_My adopted parents brought me to the park a week after they adopted me so I could make some new friends. Despite what they wanted I played by myself. I played on the swings by myself, I sat myself, I played on the monkey bars by myself. I guess it didn't matter what I did, I was always by myself._

_They took me home because it was getting late, but we came back the next day. I played in the sand box alone for about a half-hour until a kid about my age came over and sat in the sand box as well. He ignored me completely but that was fine. I liked playing by myself._

_I was completely engrossed in what I was doing until the sand in my hands started to swirl away from me and toward the boy who was in the sand box with me._

_I didn't complain that he was stealing my sand. Instead, I watched him as the sand swirled around him. I thought it was prettiest thing I had seen._

_"Wow," I said. "That's so cool! How are you doing that?" I asked._

_He ignored me, of course, but I thought I saw a glimmer of a smile in his eyes._

_A few minutes later, an adult came over and told me to play somewhere else. "You can't play with Gaara. He's a monster. He'll kill you."_

_I looked at the man and then at the boy he called Gaara. I tilted my head and examined the boy. I looked back at the man. "But—"_

_"You heard me. Now scram!"_

_I recoiled at the tone of the man's voice. I glanced at the boy once more. He was no longer playing with the sand, but watching me instead._

_Gaara didn't look like he could kill me or that he even wanted to, but I didn't want the adult getting angrier with me, so I did what he told me and ran off._

_"Dad!" I heard a girl yell. I heard footsteps running after me. "Wait!"_

_I felt somebody grab my arm so I stopped._

_"Our dad is just protective. He doesn't want anybody getting hurt because of Gaara."_

_"Oh," I said, eyes downcast. I felt the same way. I didn't want anybody getting hurt because of me._

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

Angel showed me another memory that occurred shortly after this.

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

_I was walking through the village to the park by myself. My parents were on a mission so I was by myself for a few days._

_I went back to the sand box and found the boy there again. I looked around to make sure his dad wasn't there. He wasn't but the girl was. She was with another boy I had never seen before. He had hair that was a shade or two darker than Gaara's._

_"Hi, Gaara," I said, sitting in the sand box with him. "My name's Cheza," I said, smiling at him. "I like what you did with the sand the other day. Can you do it again?"_

_Gaara ignored me again. He didn't look at me, but he followed my request and started playing with the sand again. This time he started building pottery out of the sand. He even made a little sand raccoon that I thought was the cutest thing ever._

_The girl walked over to the sand box after a bit. "You're back," she noted with a smile._

_"Yeah. I like watching Gaara play in the sand. He doesn't talk to me but I know he listens to what I say," I said, glancing at him. I looked back at the girl. "I'm Cheza. What's your name?"_

_"Hi, Cheza. I'm Temari. The other one sitting over there is Kankuro."_

_Upon hearing his name, Kankuro wandered over to us. "So, what do you think of our dear Gaar-Gaar?" Kankuro asked. The nickname received him a glare from his little brother. Kankuro chuckled._

_I was silent as I thought about it. "He's mysterious. He plays by himself. He's like me." I smiled._

_Gaara turned his attention away from his sand. "You don't think I'm a monster?" he asked, confusion riddling his voice and his expression._

_"No," I said with a smile. "You're like me. You're misunderstood."_

_Gaara smiled a bit. "There is only one other person in the world who thinks that."_

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

I stopped running. I found myself at the park from my memories. I sat down on a bench and caught my breath.

"Thank you, Angel. I really needed that." I mentally turned my attention to Neko. **And you! What do you have to say for yourself?**

_Why, whatever do you mean?_ asked Neko, faking innocent.

**The lies you told to Kuro. I do _not_ think he's hideous, even with the face-paint. It just draws away from his natural beauty. And how dare you say I think his puppet is hotter than he is!**

_Well it is_, said Neko.

**I'm repulsed by puppets, thank you.**

_You're quite welcome._ I could see her smirking in my mind's eye.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's go home."

The walk home was silent and I was thankful for that. Neko usually started talking to me about anything and everything, including horror movies and blood splatter and it was quite disturbing, especially at night.

I turned the corner and saw my mom in the kitchen window.

_Oh look at that. They're home._

I walked through the front door, Yuurei and Snug in tow.

"Honey, have you been crying?" my mom asked me.

"Oh, no. I'm alright. It's the sand. It was whipping around out there again. I think some of it got in my eyes." I smiled weakly.

"Where have you been, young lady?" asked my dad, angry that I wasn't home when they got back home.

"I was at Gaara's house."

"We've told you not to go over there," he said, walking toward me. "You know what happens when you disobey our explicit orders." He was looming over me now. He raised his hand and went to hit me, but Snug intervened, jumping up and biting his arm. "Damn cat!" he shouted, shaking Snug off his arm, causing her to fly at the cabinets only a few feet away.

With inhuman speed, I ran and caught her, blocking her from hitting the cabinets and absorbing her kinetic energy so that I took the blow instead of her.

_Son of bitch!_ Neko shrieked in my head. _How dare he!_

I felt Neko take over my body and this time I let her, not putting up a resistance at all.

Yuurei went crazy again, feeling my increase in chakra again.

Neko got up and dusted the splinters of the cabinet off her clothes. "You filthy son of a bitch," she growled. "How dare you hurt her like that!" she exclaimed, running at him, fist aimed to punch him square in the jaw.

He sidestepped the hit and grabbed her wrist, a maniacal grin on his face as he yanked her back to him.

She growled. She always hated it when he would touch me or hug me or anything else, protesting it, calling him a filthy bastard.

My father went to slap me again, but this time Neko intercepted it, grabbing his hand before he could lay even a cell of skin on my face. She bent his hand back, almost to the point that it—

And I felt it, the snap of his wrist as it broke. He screamed out in pain and tried to yank his hand back, but Neko held it tightly.

"I'm sorry," Neko growled sarcastically, not sorry at all. "Am I hurting you?" she asked, a sneer on her face. "And I was bored. That's why," she said, referring to our trip to Gaara's house. "And how dare you lay a finger on her," she snarled. "Me, I can handle _whatever_ you dish out, but you bring my ocelot into your hate fest, and you're gonna regret _ever_ taking me in."

"Let go of my hand this instant, young lady," ordered my dad, speaking through the pain of his broken wrist.

"I'm sorry, did you ask me to _break your hand as well_?" Neko asked, tightening her fist around his palm until she and we could both feel the bones in his hand snapping beneath our fingers.

He screamed in pain and I inwardly cringed at the disturbing sensation I felt with each snap of his bones.

"Stop it, Cheza!" my mom screamed, terrified.

Neko dropped my dad's hand and turned to face my mom. "My name isn't Cheza."

**Don't you dare, Neko! Don't tell them my real name.**

"It's Neko," she said as she advanced on my mom. "You have no idea what you were taking on when you adopted Cheza four and a half years ago." Neko stopped advancing toward my mom and instead took a seat in a kitchen chair. "And by the way, she's been lying to you for these four and a half years."

**Shut up, you self-serving cat! If you don't, I will strangle you the next time I see you!**

"Did you know that Cheza isn't even her real name? Her real name is Ayame. She obviously didn't trust you enough to tell you this." I felt Neko smirk evilly at the glee she felt at revealing other details of my life. "And you'll just flip out when I tell you who her real father is." She giggled at the looks of terror at both my parents' faces. "Her real father is Sasori, the puppet master."

I gasped—or I would have if I had control of my body. **My father was a puppet master?** I asked. That explained my repulsion of Kankuro's puppet. A little bit anyway.

"Who—who are you?" asked my mother.

Neko smiled evilly. "I'm so glad you asked," she cooed. Neko stood up. Within seconds my human body had changed into that of a Nekojin, fusing with Nekomata's true form. I now had retractable claws, fangs, neko-ears, orange fur with black tiger stripes, and a tail that branched off into two. But, of course, I was still standing on two feet.

"GET OUT!" shouted my father, standing up, both his hands close to his chest. "We are not keeping a demon in this house! Get your things and get out!" He used his good hand to point at the door.

Neko gave me my body back, making me human again. Upon doing so I ran to my room and started packing all the things I owned that were of most value to me, including all of my clothes. Yuurei immediately followed me but Snug held back, growling at my dad and giving him a warning nip. Then she followed me.

When I was done packing, I made sure I had everything of importance with me: all my clothes, my toothbrush, my hairbrush, my eyeliner, and, lastly, my mom's forehead protector and some kunai knives and shuriken. I replaced my headband with my mom's forehead protector.

When I was sure I had everything, I walked over to my window. I opened it and kicked out the screen. I was thankful that my room was on the first floor. I dropped my bag out the window and then picked up Yuurei and set him out the window. Snug jumped out the window. Finally, I climbed out the window and made the trek back to Temari's house.

When I got there, I knocked on the door.

Kankuro answered it after a couple seconds. He narrowed his eyes at me and promptly slammed the door in my face.

I suppose I deserved that.

"Who was that?" I heard Temari ask.

"Cheza." Pause. "If that is your real name!" he shouted at the door.

"Give her a chance to explain."

"Why should I?" Pause. "She lied to me," he again shouted at the door.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It's for your own good. Really. Not even my adopted parents knew my name until a half-hour ago." I laid a hand on the door. "Just give me a chance to explain."

"And why should I?" he asked, venom lacing his voice. "You lied to me—to us. It's like we don't even know you."

"And you're right. There's a lot about me that you don't know. There's stuff about me that I didn't even tell Temari."

"Wait! You knew?" Kankuro exploded on his sister.

"Just let me in and I'll explain everything."

"Just let her in, Kankuro," I heard Gaara say.

"Whatever," Kankuro muttered, opening the door to let me in.

I stepped through the doorway and into the house.

"Explain," he ordered as soon as I set foot inside.

"What?"

"You're inside. Explain."

"I just got kicked out of my house because of my secret. And I had a fight with my dad for throwing Snug into our kitchen cabinets. Give me a few minutes to adjust," I said, snapping at him. "Besides, this is something you should all sit down for."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," Temari said, pulling me into a hug. "You can stay here. I take it that you're going to go with us to the Village Hidden in the Leaves then?"

I nodded into her shoulder.

"Here, put your things in my room," she offered. "I'll make us tea. And then you can explain everything. A lot must be going on if you're willing to talk about the things you didn't even want to tell me."

"I—I have too much going on not too," I explained. "I need someone I can turn too and if I can't trust you three not to freak out at the small details of my past that I have absolutely no control over, then there's nobody I can trust."

"What does _that_ mean?" Kankuro asked.

"It means you can't freak out on me for anything I am about to tell you. You can freak out, of course, because what I am going to tell you is…heavy?—For lack of a better word. Just don't freak out on _me_."

"Oh?" asked Kankuro leaning forward in his seat. It looked as if curiosity got the better of him.

"Yes. Oh," I said. I still hadn't set my bag down, so I took it into Temari's room and set it down on the floor by her bed. Snug and Yuurei followed me around the house, keeping an eye on me.

I walked back into the living room and collapsed in one of the four chairs that were there, Yuurei jumping into my lap and Snug curling up at my feet. Gaara pulled up a second one and set it to my right. Kankuro pulled a third chair and positioned it across from me. Finally, Temari walked in, tea in hand. She put four coasters on the table and set the tea on them, then she pulled up the fourth chair, positioning it on my left. We had successfully made a square around the table in front of us.

"Okay." I took a deep breath and turned to Gaara. "Well first, Gaara, you _are not_ allowed to get upset by what I am about to tell you."

Gaara studied me, confusion etched in his features. "Why would I get upset with you, Cheza?"

I sighed. "Why don't I start with the small detail of my name," I began, giving a glance in Kankuro's direction. "My name isn't Cheza," I said with a sigh as I glanced around at Gaara as well. "It's Ayame."

"I knew your real name wasn't Cheza," Kuro muttered darkly.

I rolled my eyes. "You're only saying that because you're bitter that I lied to you. I'm sorry, but it really was for your own good. My full name is Ayame Kella."

"See, that wasn't so bad," Temari assured. "But there's a lot more, right, Ayame?" she asked, after a pause, prompting me to continue.

"I—I—Please, don't hate me," I said really quickly.

"Why would we hate you, Ch—Ayame?" Gaara asked, catching himself before he called me Cheza.

"Nothing you say could make us hate you," Kankuro reassured me.

I looked at my feet. "It's not what I'm going to tell you that will make you mad at me, it's that I should have told you sooner."

"Tell us what?" asked Gaara.

I bit my lip. "Gaara," I said looking up at him. "Shukaku isn't the only—"

_Tell them and I will slit your throat!_ Neko hissed in my ear.

**Threaten me all you want, you stupid cat! I. Don't. Care!** I could feel that I had balled my hands into fists. I must have done it without even realizing it.

"It's okay, Ayame," Temari reassured me, stroking my back. She must have felt the tension in my body.

"She's threatening me again," I muttered quietly, again looking at my feet. I hoped only Temari could hear me.

"What?" asked Kankuro.

I guess not. I didn't know how to respond. "It's—I—Nothing," I muttered without looking up.

"Shukaku isn't the only what?" Gaara asked, leaning toward me now.

"He isn't the only demon in this house," I whispered quietly.

"No way!" the boys exclaimed simultaneously.

"Who is it?" Gaara asked excitedly.

"Me," I practically whispered, still looking at the ground. The tears were filling my eyes now.

_Don't be so meek_, Neko ordered. _Be proud of who you are._

**Proud?** I asked, raising my head and setting my jaw, as if she was actually sitting right across form me. **I** **should be _proud_ of you?**

_And why shouldn't you be?_

**You caused mayhem worldwide. You destroyed anything and everything you touched. You think that should make me _proud_ of you?** I shot back, utterly disgusted at the cat demon inside of me.

_It should. It's because of me that you are where you are today. It's because of me that you are _who_ you are today._

**Shut up, you filthy cat! It is _exactly_ because of you that I am where I am right now! If it weren't for you, my mom would still be alive! I'd still be with my dad! I wouldn't be worrying about people being killed because of me!**

_You know who they are though, you're father, and Kisame, and Deidara, and Itachi. With that kind of information at your fingertips, how much longer do you think you would have stayed with your dear old daddy?_

**But—I didn't find out who my dad really was until…**

_Oh please,_ muttered Neko. _You saw the looks you got when you and Niji went out with him in the village. You saw how the other villagers reacted to him whenever you and Niji went anywhere with him or the others. You remember how your grandparents reacted when your mom told them the four of you were staying at the village. You would have eventually put two and two together at some point during the past four years. The only difference between that reality and this reality, is me. And let's face the facts; if you didn't have me, you would already be dead. You would have run and they would have caught you and killed you._

I clenched my jaw together. **Don't you dare talk about, Itachi nii-san like that! He would have tracked me if I had run. And he would do anything to make sure he was the first one to find me. Besides, if things got really bad he would have taken Niji and me and made a run for it! You know he would have, you filthy excuse for a cat!**

"Ayame?" asked Kankuro.

"Are you alright?" asked Gaara.

"Snap out of it," Temari told me, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

I smiled sheepishly, snapping out of my conversation with Neko. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," I apologized.

Kankuro was gawking at me, speechless, until Temari kicked him in the shin. He yelped, pulling his leg into his seat, wincing. And then he spoke. "But—who—you—how—you're Ayame."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again, giving Temari a confused look. She just shrugged so I turned my attention back to Kankuro. I could feel my eye twitching a slight bit. "Yep, I'm Ayame. Thanks for noticing," I said, giving him a wry smile.

Gaara was covering his mouth, probably because he was smiling or trying not to laugh. A small giggle escaped. Gaara uncovered his mouth and bit his bottom lip, trying to laugh anymore, lest he upset his older brother. "I think what my very eloquent brother," he gave a glance in Kankuro's direction, "is saying is that it seems almost impossible for you to be harboring a demon. You're so nice, Ayame. And you have been for the past four years that you've been living here."

I opened and shut my mouth, considering those words. "_I_ am," I said, agreeing with him. "But _Neko_ isn't."

At the mention of Nekomata, Gaara growled. It was a sound that started deep in his stomach and started building.

Yuurei jumped off my lap and started barking loudly, the chakra increase upsetting him. Snug quickly stood up and jumped to my left, away from Gaara. She hissed at him, her fur raising up.

"Neko," he growled angrily. "Nekomata. I thought I smelled your stench."

"And I'm surprised I couldn't smell yours," Neko said airily, speaking through me. "Although, I really shouldn't be surprised. What, with all the sand around, it's no wonder I couldn't smell you, Shukaku."

"You betrayed me, Nekomata." Gaara growled. Sand started swirling at our feet, creating mini whirlwinds. Yuurei barked at the swirling sand, jumping on the mini-whirlwinds.

Neko clucked her tongue. "Well, what kind of lady did you take me for? I'm a _cat_, for crying out loud! We watch out for ourselves and only ourselves. 'Love only yourself.' I taught you that, Shukaku."

"You betrayed us, you filthy _vermin_!" Shukaku growled.

I'm going to take a guess here and go ahead and say that, like Neko, Shukaku is speaking through Gaara.

The wind in the house grew stronger, whipping the sand up and around, in the air, in our faces, stinging our eyes.

Neko laughed. It was sound that chilled me to the bone. "You and Kyuubi were merely stepping stones in my quest for world power."

Temari's eyes went wide and Kankuro's jaw went slack.

**Neko wants to take over the world? Shukaku and Kyuubi worked together? Neko was third in the trio?** I thought in a panic. **Angel? Angel, can you confirm any of this?**

Well, I can confirm that our fluffy little kitty demon does, in fact, want to take over the world. As for this talk of her working with Shukaku and Kyuubi, I can say that I know as much as you do. I don't remember that far back. It's almost like my memories before I became your guardian are locked.

"You're the one who sent Kyuubi to his death," Shukaku accused.

"Oh please," Neko said, waving him off. "Kyuubi isn't dead. He's sealed inside some poor schmuck just like we are."

Shukaku and Neko squabbled like that for the better part of an hour until they finally gave Gaara and I our bodies back.

"Remember what I said earlier, Kankuro?"

"How could I forget?" he asked with a mono-toned expression on his face. "You said that my _puppets_ are hotter than I am."

I visibly shuddered at those words.

"What?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I'll explain in a bit. When I said those words, it wasn't me. It was Neko. She was speaking through me. Like she was just doing. I would never say anything like that. And, just for future reference, your puppets creep me out."

"Oh?" he asked, his lips curling into an evil grin.

"Please don't get any ideas, Kuro," I begged. "They really do freak me out."

"What have my puppets ever done to you, Ayame?" Kankuro asked, serious this time.

"Just puppets in general." I looked around, making sure we were alone, not that we wouldn't be. I just had the creepiest feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching us. I leaned in and the others followed my lead. "My father is also a puppet master. Please don't think any less of me because of this, but my father is Sasori Akasuna."

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara gasped.

"Sasori?" asked Temari.

"But…" Gaara trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Who's your mom?" asked Kankuro, breaking the tension and the silence.

I shook my head. "That's just it. I can't remember her very well. I don't have a picture or anything to remember her by. All I have is her forehead protector."

Kankuro stared at it. I removed it and handed it to him so he could get a better look at it. "Where is it from?" he asked.

"Yasore no Sato. That's where the explosion happened. It translates out to Village of the Wildflowers. That's why the symbol on the headband is a flowering rose. Sometimes it's also called the Village Hidden in the Branches."

"You miss it, don't you?" Kankuro asked me, still examining the headband.

I nodded. "It's nice here, but I miss being surrounded by the green of the jungle. It was a whole different world, living in the treetops. It was a different experience altogether. I'm surprised the explosion just destroyed the houses and not the treetops as well. I'm happy though. That means the village can be rebuilt or maybe it already has been."

"Well, if it has, maybe we can go visit it someday," Kankuro said, handing my forehead protector back to me.

I immediately put it back on.

* * *

And as I said before, please review. It's nice to know what you think of the story thus far. And I will R4R even though it seems childish to bribe you. If you have a story in mind that you like me to R4R you can tell me in the review as well.


	3. Chapter 2: Village Hidden in the Leaves

Hi again. Sorry about the lack of updates the past few weeks. I suppose it's been that long. I posted the first chapter of Institute Chaos, but I took it down, because...Well because I didn't like how it was. After I posted it I decided to write up a character log on all the major characters in all three multi-verse fics and I realized I wanted to change a few things in it. So I am in the middle of doing that. Hopefully I get a few chapters done that I am able to post because I have one more chapter on this before I really _need_ to start posting Institute Chaos. Or else things are going to start getting cracky and weird and hard to follow. If I have Institute Chaos up, the confusion will be a bit more understandable.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter, please review, and keep an eye out for Institute Chaos and Six Paths High. Both fics are also part of the multiverse. Six Paths High won't be posted until I have a few chapters of Institute Chaos posted. (I was going to number the order that the chapters should be read in, but that would get too complicated. I'm going to post a guide on my bio page that way they will be easier to navigate.)

* * *

Chapter 2: Village Hidden in the Leaves

After dinner, Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro packed. While they packed, I trained in the back yard. I created a solid clone to spar with. This is the way it had been for years. It was fun sparring against Angel and Neko. Whenever either of us would do something new I would always learn from it. But it definitely wasn't the same as sparing with another person. It was almost the same as sparring with myself since they were in my head all the time. Although, since they're always in my head, they know how to press my buttons.

Back in the Village Hidden in the Branches, Niji onee-chan would spar with me and teach me the new techniques that she had learned from Kisame-san or Deidara onii-chan.

Although, sparring against Angel and Neko is always a very curious experience. Sometimes I spar against Angel and other times I spar against Neko. They take turns sparring with me and it's fun because they never tell me whom I am sparring against. I have to be able to tell from the styles they use.

Snug and Yuurei train with us as well: I let Neko and Angel choose which pet they want to spar with and then I take the other one. Most of the time that's a dead giveaway because Neko only spars with Snug.

Angel likes to spar with either or. She really has no preference. She likes both of my pets the same, being an angel and stuff, but Neko doesn't like to spar with Yuurei; he feels the same way. When she spars with Snug it's almost as if they are one—they act as one being in battle. Though, I suppose it's not surprising considering they are both feline.

But the odd thing is, even without Neko, I still have cat-like reflexes. When I fall from the top of high posts, I have this uncanny ability to twist my body around—regardless of the position I'm in—and land on all fours.

One technique we all seem to favor is the Beast-Human Clone technique. My other favorite is the Running Beast technique—or at least, that's what I refer to it as. Neko and I merge into one for this jutsu, which basically means I grow retractable claws, sharp cat teeth, cat fur, cat ears, a cat tail, and Neko gives me all of her cat capabilities.

The Beast-Human Clone technique is something my grandma taught me when I was seven. Since then, I practiced it everyday with Snug. And as soon as Yuurei came into my life, I started practicing it with him as well, but that wasn't until I was eight years old.

I remember when Yuurei first came into my life. It was a wonderful day. Autumn had barely begun, but leaves were already falling onto the forest floor below. I was on the forest floor with Deidara onii-chan, Niji onee-chan, and Dad, playing the falling leaves.

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

_I was eight years old. I was staring up into the trees that made up the base of our village, the Village Hidden in the Branches. The bright autumn sunlight was shining through the leaves. They had barely begun to change color, but they were already falling at a rapid pace._

_I stretched my arms out wide and began twirling. I giggled as the leaves got caught in the small wind I created and started twirling with me._

_I stopped suddenly when I heard a sound. I got quiet and listened. That's when I heard it again. It sounded like an animal stuck somewhere._

_I followed the sound, ignoring the calls behind me from Niji onee-chan and Deidara onii-chan. I followed the sound to some tall grass._

_I pulled the grass back to reveal a small, brindle boxer puppy struggling in the roots of a tree. I called for Deidara onii-chan, Niji onee-chan, and Daddy._

_Daddy was the first one to come. He did some kind of earth jutsu—probably something that he had learned from the time he spent in the Village Hidden in the Grass—and released the puppy._

**-x-x-flash-x-x-**

Yuurei has been with me ever since. He and Snug even found me after the explosion. I have no idea how they did it, but I'm really glad they did.

My mom and Jii-chan also taught me a good amount of Ninjutsu techniques before the explosion happened. Also, before the explosion, Jii-chan gave me journal filled with all sorts of techniques.

Jii-chan gave Niji onee-chan a journal filled with techniques as well. Her journal was written by Baa-chan. It had the secrets of Byakugan in it since Baa-chan was from the Hyuuga clan family branch. Niji onee-chan inherited the Byakugan, so before Baa-chan died, she wrote the secret of the Byakugan down in a journal. She entrusted it to Jii-chan to give to Niji onee-chan.

When I started training with the journal, after the explosion, I quickly realized that it was one thing to read about the techniques in the journal, but it was quite another to practice them. But I practiced them for hours every day after getting home from academy. Not that it did me much good. I've taken the Genin test twice already, but failed each time because I froze. When I finally overcame my stage fright in the classroom, I was so shaky I could hardly make any hand movements. So, that didn't go well.

But in the steady training regime I've been working on for the past four years, I've managed to master some pretty snazzy techniques of water, lightening, earth, and air. I refuse to learn fire techniques though. They're destructive to nature and if I've learned one thing from growing up the treetops of the Village Hidden in the Branches, it's that every single person must respect nature—Especially if you want nature to respect you.

I rolled my eyes at the memory that popped into my head. I couldn't remember much of it, but it involved Deidara onii-chan, some of his explosive art, and a giant Venus Fly Trap. Let's just say that Venus Fly Traps don't like eating explosive spiders.

Although, I could be in some pretty grave danger if I ever happened to be stranded alone in the forest at night without knowing how make fire.

"Hey, Neko?" I asked, ducking under one of her kicks. I whirled around and stood up right behind her, kunai knife at her throat.

"Yeah? What's up?" she replied, nonchalantly grabbing my wrist and twisting my arm back behind me. "You're thinking again, aren't you? Don't do that. It ruins your concentration. When the time comes, you aren't going to have the chance to think. You're going to have to. You're going to have to think about your next attack sequence, not what you're going to have for dinner. Strategy, strategy, strategy. Think on your feet or be thrown off them. Be quick, be nimble, be lithe. If I have taught you anything, the lesson should be that you need to embrace your inner-cat. Deidara and Kisame aren't going to give you the time of day. They will kill you if you give them chance. Don't give them that chance. Don't give anybody the chance to come to your rescue either. You are not a damsel in distress. Deidara and Kisame will kill them before anyone gets the chance anyway. That also includes your father and Itachi."

I rolled my eyes as I listened to her spiel. She wasn't wrong but the speech was grating since she gave it ever time she thought she had me by the tail.

"This _is_ me thinking on my feet. I need to know if what I am thinking is possible though." I kicked my leg up, knocking her in the head. I jumped away from her just as she came at me with the kunai knife. I jumped just out of range of her kunai swipes, leaped into the air, and somersaulted over her head. "I need to know if it's possible to create a second clone for Angel to guide. You know, if the need should ever come up. That way, you could each have your own individual clones to guide."

My double laughed at me. "I suppose I should commend you for thinking on your feet, but I'm honestly not sure if that's possible. Besides, we're fine fighting in the same body. Somehow, I think it makes us stronger."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, think about it. Has there ever been a time you were able to make a clone and not have both of our chakras flow into it?"

I stopped and thought about that. "Now that you mention that, no. I haven't. But why is that?" That was really bizarre. Neko and Angel are two separate entities, right? As such, shouldn't they be able to go into two separate clones?

Temari opened the back door and called me back into the house, cutting my thoughts short. "Ayame!" she called. "Come inside. I've made some brownies to snack on. I bet you're hungry."

I nodded and called my clone back into my body. **How is that even possible, Neko?** I asked her as I walked to the door. I hadn't even realized that it had gotten so dark out.

_I'm really not sure. I'm a bit blurry on what happened._

I sighed. "I know," I muttered, walking through the door. "Both you and her."

I practically melted when I smelled the brownies. I hadn't had one of Temari's brownies in forever. The boys were already sitting at the table. Gaara was eating his slowly and thoughtfully, unlike Kankuro who was devouring them. "Hey! Don't eat them all, Kankuro. I want a few."

After we ate the brownies, we went to bed.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

The next morning I was awoken very early by loud shuffling noises. Yuurei, who had been sleeping at my feet, got up to investigate and then went crazy, jumping all over me. Snug burrowed further into my chest while I pulled the blanket over my head, neither of us even the slightest bit ready to get up.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Kankuro said, kneeling down next to me, shaking me by the shoulder.

"Geroff," I muttered sleepily and incoherently.

Kankuro laughed. "Wake up. You can sleep on the way or something. We're leaving for the Village Hidden in the Leaves today."

I shot up at those words, startling Snug, who jumped away from me and hissed at both of us from a short distance away. "Leaves!" I exclaimed. "I haven't seen forest leaves in years!"

He laughed.

"Kankuro," I said, thinking back to the harsh words that Neko spoke yesterday. "What she said," I said, referring to Neko, "it isn't true. You look fine with and without your face paint and hood. But your face paint just hides your true beauty."

"She said I was hideous," he deadpanned.

"All the words she speaks are lies, Kankuro. That's what cats do. They lie." Snug hissed at me, angry that I would lump all cats into the same category. I laughed. "Except you, Snug. You would never do that me. You're a very faithful companion and a very sweet kitty."

Yuurei barked and jumped into my lap. He used his front paws to balance himself as he licked my face. I laughed, turning away from his tongue and failing on my back. "You too. You're also a very faithful companion and a very playful puppy," I laughed. "Stop that. Get down." He did as he was told, giving me a bark. "Good, puppy," I said, still giggling. I patted him on the head. I stood up and turned to Kankuro. "So you can't really listen to anything that Neko says. Most everything she says is a lie. She also has this annoying habit of throwing everything I say and think out of proportion. Just because I was thinking that you look better without your face paint, she went ahead and called you hideous. It's totally not true, but don't use your face paint as a defense mechanism."

"I…I'm not? It's war paint. You know that."

"Sure, but you just wear it so much, Kankuro. If it's truly war paint, just wear it when in enemy territory and when entering battle. If you wear it all the time, it takes away from the true reason you wear it."

"I—" He looked away. "Sure."

"So how are we getting there?" I asked, feeling a change in subject was in order.

"Sand surfing, of course," Temari answered as she stepped into the living room. "How else?"

"But what about after we leave the desert?"

"Walk," Gaara replied.

"But what about our bags?"

"Carry them. Obviously."

Snug padded over and sat down next to Yuurei. She looked up at me and mewed.

I looked down at my pet ocelot and smiled. "That's a great idea, Snug." I looked back up at Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. "Snug says that she will carry our bags."

The trio exchanged glances.

"Ayame?" Kankuro asked in a tone that suggested that perhaps I was off my rocker.

"Yeah?" I asked with small grin.

"You do realize that Snug is just a small ocelot kitten, right?" he asked, drawing the last word out a few more beats.

My grin grew wider. "I know," I said happily. I turned on my heel, walking toward Temari's room to grab my bag, leaving Kankuro to wonder about my sanity. I picked my bag out of Temari's closet, picked out some clothes to wear, changed, put on my mom's forehead protector and then walked back into the living room and then put my bedding away. "So, are we ready to go then?" I asked.

"Yep," Temari answered.

And then we were off, surfing on the sand until we were out of the desert. As soon as we were out of the desert I removed my backpack and took Snug out, setting her on the ground. "Do your thing, Snug," I said.

In a matter of seconds my small little "kitten" had transformed into a giant cat the size of a horse.

Kankuro's eyes bugged out of his head when he saw Snug grow into her giant size. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. And then he looked at me. "Since when can Snug do that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Since ever," I said, a smug grin on my face. "See, I wasn't being crazy when I said she can carry our bags."

"Ayame, that's insane," Temari said as she walked around my cat, inspecting her.

"Is she one of those special flying cats?" Gaara asked.

"Yep," I said with a nod. "But she can only to places that she has been to. Otherwise, she prefers to walk."

"So, she's basically a pack mule then?" Kankuro asked.

I laughed. "So not!" I said, giving him a playful punch in the arm. He playfully pushed me back. "Besides, this was her idea. Remember?"

"What other tricks do you have in that bag of yours, Ayame?" Kankuro asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe a little, maybe a lot. But it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that I buy more weapons. Kunai and Shuriken are too generic for me. I want a scythe."

Kankuro studied me. "You plus more weapons just sounds like a bad combination. Especially sharp ones."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed in agreement. "A very bad combination." I gave him a sideways glance and said, "Bad for my enemies, that is." I smiled widely.

"You're in a good mood," Gaara noted.

"Of course. I'm going to a forest, I'm with you guys, and somebody finally knows my secret. I feel relieved, like this giant weight has been lifted from my chest. It didn't even seem to faze you when I told you that Sasori is my father. And I get to meet other young ninja like myself. This is wonderful!" I twirled around, my arms spread out. "I just can't believe it!"

"Yeah, the people there are, um…" Temari glanced around at Gaara and Kankuro, "interesting, for lack of a better word."

"How so?" I asked, walking backwards.

"Well, for one, Jiraiya lives there."

"Oh, he writes Icha Icha Paradise, right?"

"Exactly," said Temari. "He's also known as the Pervy Sage."

"And there's Kakashi. He's a tad out there. He reads the books," Gaara added.

"Anything else I should know?" I asked.

"Nah. You just go explore and get to know people. That way you can figure them out for yourself. We don't want to tell you who to hang out with and who to stay away from. We may have our own biased opinions but we trust your judgment, Ayame."

I smiled. Coming from Gaara, that was something special. He may only be a few months older than me, but he's wise beyond his years.

We walked in silence for a few hours, listening to the sounds around us. We stopped for a break and lunch. We unloaded Snug so she could rest as well and I let Yuurei out of my bag so he could run around. I took my sandwich and ripped it in half, taking one half for myself and ripping the other half into halves again. I gave one quarter of my sandwich to Yuurei and the other quarter to Snug.

After the break, we walked with our bags and I toted Snug in my bag with Yuurei. A few hours later she started mewling. I chuckled and took her out of my bag along with Yuurei. I also removed Yuurei's leash and put it on him. He just looked at me like I had lost my mind. "I know. I'm sorry. You're a great dog, but it's getting dark and I rather not have you get stepped on." I smiled at him and patted him on the head.

We walked like this until it was an hour past nightfall. "We should stop. It's dark. We can't see. Snug needs her rest as well," Temari said to Kankuro and Gaara.

"We're only a couple more hours away, Tema," Kankuro pointed out.

"We need our rest, Kankuro," Gaara said, backing his sister up. "We'll wake up early and still be at the village pretty early. It's not like we're on a deadline or anything."

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

We woke up early the next morning, ate breakfast, and then we were off again.

After a few hours of walking in a sleepy daze we walked into the village. I could hear kids playing and yelling and having fun. I even saw some my own age.

"Look," whispered a girl with two buns on her head. She was pointing in my direction as she nudged the boy next her. "Neji, look." She pointed at me again.

He directed his attention toward me, studying me with his white eyes. Something about them looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen eyes like his before.

I smiled at them and waved as we kept walking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw them turn around and run off, the girl leading the way.

When we got to the house, we unloaded Snug and dropped out bags off in our rooms. "What is there to eat around here?" I asked Kankuro.

"Ramen. They also have a great sushi bar here too."

"Ooh, ramen with a side of sushi," I purred. "That sounds great. I think I'm going to go get some after I unpack."

Almost an hour later I heard a knock on the door.

"I got it!" Kankuro called when I was halfway out of my room. He opened the door to reveal a girl. This one was different form the one I saw as we entered the village.

"K-konnichiwa," she stuttered and gulped. She bowed quickly. When she straightened up I realized her eyes were identical to those of the boy I saw when we entered town.

**They must be related.**

"I baked some c-cookies for you a-as a wel-welcoming gift. T-Tenten told me that y-you brought a g-girl with you."

I smiled to myself. That was a sweet gesture.

"We don't want your cookies," Kankuro growled before slamming the door in her face.

Immediately after he did so, I heard a small thud on the front porch. I groaned. "Kankuro?" I asked as I walked over to the door. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know she fainted. **Oh, he put his hood and face-paint back on, I see.** No wonder she fainted. She was probably terrified. That face-paint of his was intimidating. "How many times have I told you not to scare the visitors, Kuro?" I joked as I opened the door. The girl, who looked about nine, had fainted on the front porch.

Kankuro shrugged. He wasn't one for social graces.

"Help me bring her to my room, Kuro. She can rest in my bed."

Kankuro helped me pick her up. I took her arms and he took her legs. We carried her into the house and gently set her down on my bed. We left the room and walked back to the living room. "When are you, Temari, and Gaara leaving for your mission?"

"Me and Temari are leaving in a few hours. Gaara is going to be staying here with you so you won't be here alone."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks. I'll feel better knowing I won't be staying in the house alone." I walked into the room and gave him a hug. "I'll miss you while you're gone, Kuro. I love you."

"I love you too, Aya."

"What about me?" asked Temari, walking into the living room.

I let go of Kankuro and walked over to Temari and gave her a hug. "I'll miss you too, of course. I love you, Tema. Thanks for bringing me along to the village. I'll miss you while you're gone."

"I love you too, Aya. I'll be thinking about you. And don't worry. The people here are nice, even if they are a bit odd at times. They've seen some odd stuff over the past few years, so I'm sure they'll accept you, ties to the Akatsuki or not. So if you ever need to talk about your past or about Neko, don't worry. I'm sure they won't be judgmental."

"And if they are—"

I turned to see Gaara walk into the room, manic grin on his face, sand swirling at his feet.

"They'll have to answer to me."

"Remember," Kankuro said, pulling my attention back to him, "the ones who mind don't matter, and the ones who matter don't mind."

Gaara and Temari nodded in agreement.

I heard a voice from my room. "W-where am I?"

"Oh, good. She's awake," I muttered, quickly glaring at Kankuro before I got off the couch and walked to my room. I entered my room to see the girl sitting on the edge my bed with a look on her face that resembled that of a deer caught in the middle of ninja attack. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

She jumped at the sound of my voice and let out a terrified squeak.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," I said, raising my hands shoulder height, palms facing out. "I'm not gonna hurt you." I leaned against my doorframe. "Sorry about Kankuro. He's not really all that bad. In fact, he's pretty cool. He's just not one for social graces. He never has been." I pushed myself off the doorframe and walked across my room. I took a seat next to her on the bed. "I'm Ayame. It's nice to meet you," I said, holding out my hand.

She stared at my outstretched hand and then glanced back at me. I could tell she was still a bit nervous. She took my hand anyway. "I'm Hanabi," she told me.

My stomach growled loudly. Hers growled loudly right after mine finished. I laughed. "Why don't we go eat?" I asked her, smiling. "It sounds like we're both pretty hungry. Do you know of any good places to eat around here?" I asked her.

"Um, well, we have a ramen place here and across the street from that we have a sushi place."

"Those both sound so good," I told her, still smiling. "I don't know about others, but I can't get my fill of sushi."

Hanabi looked at me tentatively. "I don't really like sushi. The ramen here is pretty good though."

"Ramen it is then. I'll have to go across the street and get some sushi though."

Hanabi nodded. "Okay, Ayame-san."

I smiled and shook my head. "Just Ayame." I got off my bed and Hanabi followed. "Kankuro, Temari!" I called, exiting my room. "Hanabi and I are going to get some ramen."

"Okay, Aya," Temari called from the living room.

"By the time you get back, Ayame, Temari and I will have already left."

"Oh. Okay." I swallowed thickly as I sat in between them on the couch. The tears started welling up in my eyes. "I love you guys. I'm going to miss you two so much. Be careful."

"We'll miss you two. Now, go have fun. Meet new people. Go explore."

"Good luck on your mission," I said with a smile, even though there were still tears in my eyes. I had the oddest feeling that something bad was going happen to one of us sometime during the six months they would be gone. I was thankful that Gaara was staying here with me so I wouldn't be alone.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

"Neji, look, it's that girl again," I heard someone whisper when Hanabi and I entered the Ramen Shack after having gone across the street so I could order some sushi.

I looked around to see the same two characters I saw when I entered the village with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. The girl waved Hanabi and me to sit down with them.

"Hi!" she chirruped when we sat down. "I'm Tenten. What's your name?"

I smiled. "I'm Ayame Kella."

"Kella," Neji repeated, eyeing me. "Of the Kella clan?" he asked, making a slight head movement.

"The one and only!" I exclaimed with a grin. I glanced at Hanabi and then back at Neji. "You two are related, right?"

"Yeah, Neji's my cousin," Hanabi said with a smile.

I studied their eyes a minute longer before it finally hit me where I had seen those eyes again. "What a second. You're both of the Hyuuga clan." It was a statement, not a question. "Those eyes. My grandma had the same eyes. She died when I was born, but according to my granddad she was part of the branch family."

"That's impossible," Neji said. "If she _was_ part of the branch family she would have been killed before she even got the chance to run away."

"But Neji," Hanabi said, "I remember father telling me that there was one member of the branch family who was disowned."

"Yes, Hanabi, but when somebody is disowned in this clan, it usually means that they are killed."

"But my mom—"

"Your mom died eight years ago, didn't she?" he asked, a sudden harshness in his voice.

"What?" I asked, trying to mask my pain. "No. She died during the explosion, which only happened four and a half years ago."

"Neji!" Tenten hissed sharply. It was followed with a mild thud under the table. Neji winced. "Stop that."

I tilted my head, curious as to what was going on.

"Hinata!" exclaimed a new voice.

I turned my attention away from Neji and Tenten. _Hinata?_

Hanabi and I both turned around to see the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was a boy with spiky blond hair wearing an orange jumpsuit.

The boy came over and joined us, much to the dismay of Tenten and Neji by the looks of their faces.

"Sorry, Naruto. Hinata is out on a mission. So, it's only me." She smirked at his disappointment.

He grinned. "Hey, Hanabi." He turned his attention to me. "You're new. Who are you?" he asked as we ordered ramen.

"Hi. I'm Ayame Kella. What's your name?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm going to be Hokage one day! Believe it! Then everyone will stop shunning me."

**Why would they shun him?**

_I smell demon all over this boy. He reeks of Kyuubi._

Half an hour later I had eaten three bowls of ramen while Naruto had eaten thirteen.

"Finished," I said, pushing my bowl away from me. I glanced around the table and grinned. Tenten and Neji were stealing quick glances at each other every-so-often—without the other seeing, of course. I also noticed Naruto glancing at Hanabi a few times. "Oh, shoot!" I exclaimed, remembering Snug and Yuurei. They were probably starved by now. "I am such a bad owner. Are there any animal shops around here?" I asked to nobody in particular.

"Oh yeah. There's a store up the road a bit that sells all kinds of animal food and toys. They also have leashes and flea stuff. Whatever you need, they have it. Including bugs and bug food," Tenten told me with a shiver. "I can walk you there if you'd like."

"Oh, thank you so much, Tenten. I left the Village Hidden in the Sand with such short notice that I didn't have time to buy pet food." I looked up and then back at her. "Not that I would have been able to carry it all the way here. It would have slowed us down."

We all stood up. Tenten, Hanabi, and I started to leave. "Bye Neji, bye Naruto," Tenten and I said.

Hanabi glanced at Neji and then back at us. "Bye Ayame, bye Tenten, bye Naruto. I have to go back home and train more," she said.

"Bye Tenten, bye Naruto, bye Ayame," said Neji.

"Bye Ayame. It was nice to meet you. Bye Hanabi, bye Tenten, bye Neji."

After that, we dispersed. Neji followed Hanabi out of the Ramen Shack, Naruto went his own way, and Tenten and I left for the pet shop.

"What's with Naruto and Hanabi?" I asked while Tenten and I walked to the pet shop. "I saw him glancing at her a few times after he had finished eating."

"_Hanabi_ and Naruto? Nothing." Tenten giggled. "But Hinata and Naruto is a different story. Hinata is Hanabi's older sister. She has had a crush on Naruto for a few years. She's too shy to say anything and he's just oblivious."

I smiled. "I know the feeling. Back in the Village Hidden in the Branches there was this boy." I shook my head at the scrap of the memory. "He was about my age. He must have been visiting or something because he couldn't have been there any longer than a week. I still think about him every now and then, wondering what he's doing and what he's up to."

"What was he like, the boy?"

"I don't really remember much. I remember playing around a lot though. He really liked climbing the trees. He played with Snug. And he really liked dogs. He had a pet dog actually. The only other dog in the village was mine though, since dogs weren't really allowed. Mine was an exception since it seemed like no matter where he was left or how far away he was taken, he would always appear at the foot of my bed the next morning, barking quite loudly."

Tenten laughed. "He sounds like quite a character," she said as we walked through the door of the pet shop. I couldn't tell if she was talking about the boy or Yuurei though.

"Hello ladies," a girl who looked to be about Temari's age greeted us. She had red marks on her face that kind of resembled fangs.

"Hi Hana. You're manning the shop today?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "With mom and Kiba both out on missions, I'm stuck here. Looks like my vet office won't be open for a few days," she said with a sigh.

"Oh. Hopefully they get back soon, then. Having the vet office closed isn't the best thing." Hana nodded her agreement. "We're just here for pet food for Ayame's pets. She's new here in the village. She just arrived this morning with the Sand Siblings."

"Oh, so _you're_ the new one. Hanabi wandered in here a few hours ago and told that Neji saw a new girl arrive in the village. What kinds of pets do you, Ayame?" Hana asked.

"I have a brindle puppy named Yuurei. Well, he's not technically a puppy anymore, but he hasn't grown one bit since I got him. I've had him for over eight years. I also have a cat named Snug."

She tensed when I said that I have a cat. "Oh, you have a cat?" she asked. "I'm more of a dog person myself."

I smiled. "She may be a cat, but she gets along pretty well with dogs."

Hana smiled. "I wonder if she could hold her own with my three dogs."

"Oh, I'm sure she can," I said, a gleam in my eye. "Now where's the pet food?"

"It's in the back by the pet snacks and toys. I'm sure Tenten can help you find it."

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "It was nice chatting with you, Hana. I hope to see you again soon."

"Same here," she said with a smile.

**-x-x-x-x-x-**

Later that night, I couldn't sleep.

Everything Neji had said kept floating around in my head.

Baa-chan was part of the Hyuuga clan. But if she was disowned and not killed…It didn't make sense. None of it made sense.

I pulled back my curtains and looked out the window. It was a clear night and the stars were bright. I let the curtains fall back into place as I got out of bed and pulled on my jacket. I walked to the kitchen and wrote a note to leave for Gaara in case he went to check on me and I wasn't in bed. I left a similar note on the kitchen counter in case he got up for a snack—very unlikely, but possible.

I slipped on my shoes and quietly opened the front door. I walked outside, pulling the door shut quietly behind me. I walked to a park that I remembered passing when Hanabi took me to the Ramen Shack. I found a nice spot by a few trees and lied down. I watched the stars contently, clearing my mind.

"You're new," came a voice from behind me.

I jumped up to my feet with a low hiss, quickly whirling around.

"Wh-hoa!" exclaimed the figure, hands raised. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm not here to fight you." He walked over to my left side and sat down. He then lay down in the grass and glanced up at me, hands behind his head. "I came here to watch the stars. They're peaceful and they're not troublesome, unlike the rest of this village." He was silent for a bit as I lay back down on the grass.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to react that way." I lay down next to him, staring up at the stars as well. "I'm new to the village and I'm just so jumpy at the moment." I turned to look at him. "My mind won't shut up and I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to relax."

"I'm Shikamaru Nara," he said, introducing himself. "Who are you?" he asked me.

I smiled at Shikamaru. "I'm Ayame Kella."

"Well, Ayame, it looks like you and I had the same idea." He paused. "Kella?" he repeated, his forehead creased in a frown, eyes wide. "As in…the 'Cat Clan Kella'?" he asked, shock written on his face and interest lacing his voice.

"Cat clan?" I asked. "I have no idea what you mean by that."

He sat up and shrugged. "It's just something my dad says. He was friends with a girl named Ayari Kella when he was younger."

My ears perked up. "She used to be friends with your dad?" I asked.

He nodded and lay back down. "My dad sometimes wonders about her and how she is doing. I don't know how close they were though."

"Ayari Kella was my mom," I said slowly. "She died in the explosion of Yaso no Sato."

"You should come to my house for dinner tomorrow. I'm sure my dad would love to meet you. And then, perhaps, I can show you what I mean when I say 'Cat Clan'," Shikamaru said, still staring up at the stars.

I smiled at the invitation, slowly closing my eyes.

* * *

Please review. I hope you enjoyed it. There's more weirdness coming soon. And everything will be explained later on. And I'll shoot out a message to those who fave/alert/review this story when I post the other two fics.


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